I don’t have much information on new KRTH (101.1 FM) programmer Chris Ebbott, but almost everything I have heard sounds positive, save for the fact that he helped launch Jack-FM (KCBS-FM, 93.1). Can you tell I am still not a fan of the station with no soul?

Ebbott has experience in adult hits, classic hits and traditional Top 40, which is a good match for KRTH — an oldies station with a Top 40 approach. KRTH itself is in good shape already, with some of the highest ratings in years. It will be interesting to see what Ebbott does with the last remnant of Boss Radio in Los Angeles.

Taking a much harder job is Ralph Stewart, just-named programmer of The Wave (KTWV, 94.7 FM). The Wave is so bad off that my suggestion would be to just jettison the entire format, move Jack-FM to the frequency and launch a hot adult contemporary format on 93.1, called 93 KHJ.

Why am I so harsh? The Wave launched in 1987 as a “new age” station (aka “lava lamp” radio), morphed into smooth jazz, and then into the mess it is today — smooth jazz, or smooth rhythm and blues, take your pick. The name has no meaning anymore, having been so damaged over the years as programmers tried to salvage what was left of a once decently popular station.

Stewart has his work cut out for him, and he’ll have to do it all while maintaining his current job as operations manager at sister station Jack-FM.

Talking to animals

This is a program you have to hear to really understand, but SiriusXM’s “Animal Intuition” is one of the more entertaining shows on the satellite service’s talk channels.

Hosted by Sonya Fitzpatrick, the program involves listeners calling in to find out about their pets, through their pets. You see, Fitzpatrick can talk to animals. Or so she says. And who am I to doubt her?

According to a program description, Fitzpatrick “helps pet lovers connect with their pets — both living and passed on — and teach you how to see things from a pet’s point of view.”

A typical call involves the listener giving Fitzpatrick the name of his or her pet, followed by the host asking questions or making statements often from the viewpoint of the (alleged, just to keep it legal) pet. Not probing questions, in the traditional sense, and according to stories written by people who have had one-on-one sessions with her, not “fishing” questions that can then be mixed up and parroted back either.

A recent show got into specific items such as “Who is the woman who took care of (the cat) while you were gone recently? And “Who is the man with the golf clubs?”

Fitzpatrick calls herself an “animal communicator,” and claims she realized from an early age that she had a special connection with animals, and that she found it easier to communicate with animals than humans.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying I necessarily believe she is a “pet psychic.” But I’m not saying she’s not, either. Regardless, her show is extremely entertaining, and she is pretty darn convincing. In fact, if I had the time to sit on hold, I’d call in to see what she could tell me about my own pets, past and present.

Hear her program live from 2 to 4 p.m. Sundays (repeating 6 to 8 p.m.) on SiriusXM “Stars” Channel 106.

Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance writer covering radio in Southern California. Send him email at rwagoner@cox.net.

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